…Advises Nigerians to be prudent, live within their means
By Enyeribe Ejiogu
Presiding Bishop and General Overseer of Calvary Kingdom Church International, Lagos and a respected leader of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Archbishop Joseph Imariabe Ojo, has urged Nigerians to trust in the capacity of God to turn around the parlous situation of the country, saying that good news is coming for the country, as long as people in political leadership of the nation would pursue good policies and eschew selfishness.
Archbishop Ojo, who admonished people in governance to be cognizant of the transience of office, counselled them to utilize their official positions to do good and leave behind memorable legacies that would etche their names in the hearts of the people. He also advised Nigerians in walks of life to strive to live within their means. He speaks more in this interview.
The year is about to end. When you look back, what are you most happy about with respect to the ministry particularly, and the country in general terms?
For our ministry, I think it has not been a bad year. God has been faithful. In spite of the economic downturn, and after the shaking, everything seems to be stabilizing. For that we are grateful to God. Nobody envisaged that the economy would nosedive, and be almost dead. We expected a few changes, but not to the extent that it came, but somehow God has protected His work, made provisions, and helped those in faith to remain in faith. Nobody had really given up hope in God. The current administration talks about renewed hope. So, we are still hoping in hope. God has been faithful. So we are grateful.
Concerning the country in general, we cannot just say everything has been that bad. At least, relatively, we’ve had some stability, not in the economy, but we’ve had some stability in the wave of the insurgency the way it was before now. At least to this day, it has not been as pronounced as it was – maybe xvdown south, I don’t know what happened in the north, but generally in Lagos area, the South-South, it has been relatively peaceful. This has given us hope that it can get better if the economy gets better. I think the real cause of the whole thing is the economy. If people are doing something meaningful, then definitely there will be a reduction in the level of insecurity all over the country. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. So, I believe that if the economy improves, insurgency will also reduce to the barest minimum. If people have what they are doing, they would not like to take the risk. Even what they are doing is a risk. It’s a 50-50 thing. Because the economy went down, people are trying to survive.
We believe that the economy will improve if the government would allow local production of fuel. This will bring down the price of fuel, which has made everything to go haywire. I’m sure things will get better as we approach the New Year. My only fear is that there could be one bad policy that would make everything go sour again; one nonsense, unreasonable policy can set us 10 years back.
Looking at the policies of the administration, people have this feeling that the country is experiencing scorpion rule, like what happened in the Bible during the time of Rehoboam. What are your thoughts on this?
My take on that is it depends on people’s view or their perspectives. You know, somebody like me, I love to have what we call God’s world view. I love to see things how God sees them. Let me explain what I mean. We know that God allows his rain to fall on the just and on the unjust. God does not condemn everybody generally. He gives allowance to those who may change their minds. And for me, as a person, I am that kind of person that believes God can speak to the worst leader, and tomorrow he comes up with policy that would make his administration better. And that’s the area I’m talking about.
The people in government from President Bola Tinubu, to members of the Cabinet and all those working in the corridor for power should know that power is transient. They are there today; therefore they should work in a way that they will not regret tomorrow, because another person can come tomorrow and do it better, that would be to their shame.
So now that they have the opportunity, they should make it while the sun is shining. I believe that God can use the worst minds to make things happen to His own glory. But if man is seeking his own glory, then it can’t work.
We are just days from 2025. What programmes are you planning for the ministry?
Normally, we have our annual fasting and praying programme, which we commence on the second day of January, which lasts for 14 days, during which we commit the year into God’s hands.
The theme of our prayer programme for 2025 is Good News. And it is taken from the Book of Proverbs 25:25 (NIV): “Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.” We pray for the church and the nation; it is like laying a foundation. The year is like a building which has foundation. Anything that does not have solid foundation will collapse. So through the prayer programme, we will lay a foundation for 2025. So we enter every year trusting God. During that period, we do not pray for our needs and ourselves only, rather we pray for the Mebamu community where we live; we pray for the chairman and councilors of the local government, the member of the House of Representatives representing this area, the Lagos State government and the whole nation, asking God for improvements in governance and the economy. In essence, we pray that the people in governance will not be selfish about their plans. They should be global in their thinking and carry everybody along. We pray for the church leaders who may be invited to represent the church, so that they would not be selfish in what they would say. In the past, some have seen such invitation as an avenue to enrich themselves and that does not bring glory to God. Let the heart of the person that will be representing us be in God’s hands. We believe that the heart of the king is in the hands of God, and He turns it whichever way He wants. So we are trusting God that next year, there’ll be good news.
What advice do you have for Christians and other Nigerians on how to survive and forge ahead in 2025?
They should live within their income if they have at all. Some people don’t even have at all. Those who have should live within their income. This is not a time of making yanga and, trying to showcase what you don’t have. No, Nigerians should be real about their lives. They should at least pursue something that will sustain them, to see another day and another year. I trust that things will get better. If you squander the little privilege you have now, you may be a beggar tomorrow. So if you are wise enough, you should at least be able to maintain what you have now and live within your income. Don’t exaggerate, don’t live to show. There’s nothing we should be exaggerating or showing. So my counsel to both Christians and non-Christians, in these trying times, is that people should live within their income.
Be humble, you cannot just go to the airport because your mates are traveling by air. When the plane lands, they will take Uber or charter airport taxi, but you will walk some distance from the airport to take bus or Okada. That is shameful, it is not good. Just travel by bus, you should leave earlier, to get to your destination. People should live within their income level. That is my thinking.